Paradise

    First off let me just state that my blog today and a few that I'll be posting in the future have many questions in them that have risen in my heart in these last couple months. I would love to get feed back on what you guys think about the questions. I don't believe that the questions I'm asking are going to have one specific answer, its all based on personal opinion. So let me open up my blog for any green light thinking you have. OK that's my for warning.Lets get to the nitty gritty.

    Paradise- we all want it. We all dream of it, do we not? A place where pure happiness and beauty meet overwhelming love and kindness. Seriously though, what would the world look like without poverty, hatred and evil, would that be paradise? Instead, what if the world was filled with generosity, unconditional love, and happiness...is that paradise? As Gods creation are we even supposed to experience paradise on Earth or our own peace of Heaven here?...Or maybe that's just something solely meant for Heaven in all its Glory.
   
   If you google the definition of paradise (& I kid you not, this is what i found!) it means : Heaven as the ultimate abode of the just -or- the abode of Adam and Eve before the fall in the biblical account of creation ( side note, when I first wrote this on paper I spelled Adam as in like atom...smallest particle in existence...can you tell I have a science course this semester? AND it took me four times reading it to realize I spelled it wrong! anyways...) See Genesis 2 & 3. So, my question... is it possible to live in ' paradise' if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? OR even if you have accepted Him but you don't live it out? The bible says in Luke 13:24:

²⁴ “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. ²⁵

There's also the verses in Matthew 7:21-23 that read :

²¹ “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. ²² On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³ But I (the Lord) will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

    So, let me clear my thoughts up. The ultimate paradise is Heaven, where you get the honor of humbly bowing down and worshipping at the feet of Jesus. Seriously, just that thought sends chills up my spine, imagine what it'll be like when that day actually comes! And we know that where made to worship God, and in Heaven worshipping God is paradise...so were we made to crave paradise on Earth because we were made to worship Him even while were still here? Complicated i know. BUT our sin nature gets in the way of us truly living out our worship for Jesus far to often. This is a personal opinion but i don't think its possible to truly live in generosity, love, and happiness if your allowing your sin nature to control your thoughts and actions. Worship has never been about you...So if you don't like the persons voice... it shouldn't matter your there for Jesus...your not there to be entertained. 

     ... I don't know about you but i eagerly await the day where I get the opportunity to approach the gates of Heaven. And in order for me to take up residence there I must die to myself  daily. Meaning E V E R Y T H I N G of the flesh must go, and i must take up the cross...and follow.

    Honestly I have no clue where I'm really going with this blog....its just what has been on my heart lately. I know I want to experience paradise, but only the paradise that's offered through my Lord and Savior.

"....when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty."

--Luke 17:10